Sinkable toy ship.



J. B. BLACKSHEAR.

SINKABLE TOY SHIP.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I6. 1918.

Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

WITNESSES By A TOHNEVS JAMES B. BLACKSHEAR, 0F I-IONOLULU, TERRITORY 0F HAWAII.

SINKABLE TOY SHIP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 28, 1919.

Application led February 16, 1918. Serial No. 217,597.

Tc all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES B. BLACK- sHEAR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city and county of Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, have invented a new and Improved Sinkable Toy Ship, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. v

My invention relates yt0 toy ships having means whereby to cause submergence.`

An object of the invent-ion is to provide a toy ship adapted to be sunk by admitting water thereto, the inlet of water being controlled by displaceable valve means.

A further important object of the invention is to provide for release of the valve means by the hitting of a target which advantageously simulates a boat swung in supports generally suggestive of davits. v-The invention also `has for its object to provide a trigger engageable with the target and releasable to open the inlet valve and so arranged that the setting of the trigger parmits the valve to automatically close for maintaining the ship in floatable condition. A more specific` object of the invention with respect to the sinkable features ofthe lses ship is to increase .the attractiveness. of the toy by causing bubbles to rise through the smoke stacks when the ship sinks.

The invention also has for its object to utilize in a novel manner the Ipropelling power' of a twisted rubber band or strand and to provide a rudder, the angular position of which is controlled by a novel and simple means. Reference is to be lhad tothe accompanying4 drawings forming a part of this specification in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the vie-wait beingvunderstood that the drawings are merely illustrative of one example of the invention.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a toy ship embodying the invention;

. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical section takenin the main on the line 2-2, Fig. 1; y

. l Fig..y 3 is a fragmentary view given to show `the rudder controlling means:

Fig. 4 is'a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1 but showing a modification of the valve means and trigger.

- In carrying out my invention in practice avbuoyant hull isv provided, which may consist of a solid buoyant block 10 which in practice is of Wood and a superstructure in the form of a tank 11. On the block 10 is a metal keel 12 to give the desired submergence. The ship may in practice simulate a warship or an armed merchant vessel, there being indicated a bow gun 13; the numeral 14 indicates a lagstal".

The tank 11 has an inlet opening, or openings, 15, in the bottom thereof through which Water may enter and escape, and said inlet is'controlled by a valve 16 Figs. l and 2 in the form of a plain disk valve beneath the tank, from which a stem 1 7 rises centrally through the bottom of thc tank, said stemwithin the tank being surrounded by a coil spring 18 abutting at its lower end against the bottom of the tank and at its upper end against the head or iange 1.9, whereby the tendency of the spring will be to maintain the valve against the under side of 4the tank and closing the inlet or inlets 15. Above fthe valve stem is a trigger 2O generally in the form of a vertically movable plunger which extends water-tight through the deck of the vessel as formed by the top of the tank 11. The upper end of the trigger 20, above the tank, has a lateral oii'set trigger arm 21 which engages the target 22 simulatinor a boat, said target having trunnions 22a adapted to turn in standards 23 simulating or suggesting davits. One trunnion 22il has a crank arm 241 to be engaged bythe trigger arm 21. A coil spring 25 encircles the plunger 20 within the tank 11, said spring abutting at its upper end against the top of the tank and abutting at its lower end against the flange or head 26 disposed directly above the head 19 of the valve.

With the described arrangement any suitable projectile discharged from a toy can non or otherwise, and hitting the target 22` will rock the same on its trunnions, thereby releasing the trigger 20 and permitting the lattervto be depressed by its spring 25, which springis of greater strength than 'the valve spring 18, so that the valve is decausenthe sinking of the vessel.` When the vessel is raised after having been sunk, theY pressure of the spring 25 will still maintain the valve 16 open, thereby permitting water to drain from the tank 11 throughpthe openings 15 and passage 10a, after which the setting of the trigger 20 and its engagement with the target 22 will have relieved the valve stem 17 of the pressure of the spring 25, thereby permitting the valve to automatically close under the action of its spring 18.

A smokefstackfor smoke stacks 27. on the tank: 11 I and 4communicating with the interior thereof results in bubbles escaping through the smoke stacks as the vessel continues to sink deeperv inthe waterv after the complete submergence of the smoke stacks, the bubbling adding tothe realism of the sinking.4 v

The illustratedpropelling means includes a rubber bandI or strand-28 which ranges longitudinally of the vessel in a longitudinal bore 29 in the block 10. The rear end of the propellingfstrand-is secured'to the shaft 31 of the propeller 30 which turns ina frame designated generally vby the numeralv 32. Thefront end of the propelling strand is secured to a; suitable twisting device f33"at the bow of the vessel. Said twistingdevice is-shown as a crank spindle which vhasa comparatively tight it in a bearing 33a or otherwise being'vr provided with suitable means :to prevent too free -a.turningrso that the reaction ofthe strand28 willfbe 4effective only onthe `propeller 30.r

Inthe illustrated example'wthe frame 32 is `bent rearwardly .at an incline and secured 'to 'the correspondingly inclined:v overhang of the tankll at the stern-,andthe `frame has a depending bea-ring member- 32? for-the pro- .peller shaft. The single frame 32-is also formedwith members to-support and 'controlthe rudder' 39, said frame lbeing carried forwardly at the bottom as at 35 and then upwardly as at `36 and lsecured-to the -rear end of the Iblock 10. From the upright member 36 the frame is carried rearwardly asfa't 37 to form an upper bearingcmember whi ch" with thel bottom 35k constitutes a bean ing 'for the `rudder spindle B8 on Ywhich the rudder 39. isqhung. The upper arm- 37 has a downw-ardwbend at-\40;the.lower-fedge of which is-,serrated 'as at 41 to-yieldinglvr engagethe \upperedge-of the rudder-39- ffor holding' the latter vinafgiven angular ad?" justment.; The-said rudder 39fvandfthe frame vmembers of the frame 32 'are-'suiii ciently'resilient to permit Athe manualad' justment 'of `'the rudder as desired.4`

In 'the-for'mshown Aine-Fig. 4 the parts are the samevas in Fig. 1 except. that the trigger 20a carries the valve 16a which' is and a plate spring 25a' secured at one end to l,the hull 10 and engagingzat its free endthel valve 16a, serves to throw the valve to the closed position whenv 'the triggerf20: is released. The trigger stem 20a is held in depressed positionto close the valve, by the crank arm 24 bearing on. head 21a. Inasmuch as the other features shown in Fig. 4 .correspond with Fig. l, the same identifying characters are employed.

If desired, a suitable device may be employed to temporarily hold the propeller 30 against turningwhile the` elastic element 28 is beingtwisted. .As shown for the purpose in Fig. 1 a pin 42 is slida'blein the parts 32, 32il whereby to be moved rearwardly between the Yblades of thepropell'er orrshiftegd forwardly to disengage the propeller and leave the latter free tol turn.

For the quick emptyingrof the tank, the water may be spilledthrough the smoke stacks instead of 'permi'ttingit to.slowly escape through the openingsl.y If desired, the spindle 33 may be pinched, .as at 33?? yto engage the roughenedpr toothed end` of bearing 33a-t0 thus prevent backwardturm ing ofthe spindle. l I would state in conclusion 'that while the illustrated exampleA constitutes a practical embodiment of my invention, I do' not limit myself strictlyV to" the ymechanical details herein illustrated, sincernanifestly the same can bel considerablyvariedwithout depart ture from the spiritof theinventionjas fined -in the.appendedclaims.K

Having thus describedjmy invention, claim as new, and desire to,.vsecure byLetters Patent: i

1. Asinkable toy ship including atank having means for the, inlet and 'Y escapefof water,l valve means controllinguthe admis'- sionv of 'waterto the tank, a target, Aandha. trigger releasabler bytheytarget and fadapted to positively actuatev saidvalve means ,for admittingfwater tothe tank to ;.sinkthe ship whenthe target is struck.

2. A sinkable toy ship includingI a tank having awater inlet'below the water line, a. valve -controlling the, vin1et,a,v spring-pressed trigger movable towopen the valve, anda target engageable with the trigger 'to riestrain the same, the target beingmovable for releasing the trigger and permitting .the latter to open the water valvef. y

3.@ A, sinkable toy ship having a water inlet below the water line, a spring-pressed val-ve for closing said inl`etA a valve-stem rising-fromthe valve and extending above the deck of the vessel, and a rockable tar et engageable with said stem and mova le when` struckb'y a projectile to a position to rlelease the stem and permit the valve to c ose.

4. In a toy ship',l a frame on the stern thereof and presenting an ap lroximately horizontal bottoni member, the rame being carried upwardly from the front end of said horizontal member in the form of a securing member made fast to the ship, and then carried rearwardly and downwardly formino' an upper overhanging bearing member, and a depending free end, said free end having a serrated bottom edge, a rudder in said frame between the bottom member and overhanging member, and a rudder spindle having bearings in said bottom and overhanging members, said serrated free edge being variously engageable with the top edge of the rudder.

5. In a toy ship, a frame on the stern thereof and presenting an upright member, the frame at the upper end of said upright member being carried rearwardly and then downwardly to provide a securing member, and a depending free end constituting a bea-ring member, a propeller turning in said upright andin said bearing member, said said free end having a serrated bottom edge,

and a rudder supported in said bottom and overhanging members, the serrated free edge being variously engageable with the top edge of the rudder.

6. In a toy ship, a rudder mounted to be turned for varying its angular position, and a rudder controlling member adjacent to the rudder and presenting a serrated edge adjacent to an edge of the rudder, said rudder and its said controllin member bein relatively yieldable to variously engage It e respective adjacent edges.

JAMES B. BLACKSHEAR.

Copies ot this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patenti, Washington, D. C. 

